GUIDELINES FOR DRIVING CLIENTS

Cultural Considerations

Working with newcomer populations requires empathy, patience, and flexibility – especially when providing transportation.

  • Plan your time generously, allowing your schedule to accommodate longer-than-expected pick-up times. For example: you show up and no one is ready, they aren’t going now, someone is sick, etc. People live complicated lives and are dealing with communication barriers, so these things sometimes happen. If clients ask that you detour from a route not agreed upon by ReEstablish Richmond staff or ask for a different drop-off location, please politely decline or ask ReEstablish Richmond staff for permission before doing so.

  • Car seats are not commonly used in our clients’ countries of origin, but they are important safety measures that are legally required here. As a reminder, the driver is legally responsible for the safety of all children riding in the car. Drivers must be familiar with the age/size ranges associated with each type of car seat, as well as how to properly secure the car seat in the van and the child in the car seat. However, clients are responsible to provide age- or developmentally- appropriate car seats for their children. See below for Carseat Guidelines.

  • Male drivers should be aware that some women may not feel comfortable interacting with you initially. To build trust, in addition to following all driver expectations, male drivers should avoid physical touch, sustained eye contact, and comments about appearance with women passengers.

Set a good Driving Example

Self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal for our clients. If you’re driving someone to a class or event, they are likely working toward getting their driver’s license. Although many newcomers have extensive driving experience in their countries of origin, some clients have limited experience with riding in a car, and traffic rules vary from country to country. Your example as a driver should uphold a high standard of driving in the U.S. — ensuring passenger and child safety, maintaining good driving manners, minimizing distractions, and obeying all traffic laws and speed limits.

We expect all volunteers to follow the Safe Driving Practices of the Occupational Safety and Health Association:

  • Avoid use of alcohol, drugs, or any substance that could impair abilities before or while driving. 

  • Obey all traffic laws, including laws regarding Commercial Motor Vehicles. 

  • It is the law that the driver and all other passengers must wear a seat belt at all times. The seat belt should be snug or tight to the body, fitting over the shoulder and across the chest.

  • Never leave children unattended in or around a vehicle. 

  • Always check in the back of the vehicle before locking the doors and walking away. Keep vehicles locked when not in use to prevent a child being trapped inside. 

  • Never leave a vehicle running. Turn off the engine and take the keys with you when leaving the van at any location. 

  • After dropping passengers at their destination, check the vehicle for items that may have been forgotten or left behind. 

  • If you have an emergency and must stop, park the vehicle in a safe place completely off the roadway. 

  • Communicate with ReEstablish Richmond staff immediately if you are involved in an accident or experience an emergency. 

Child Safety Seats

Please take the time to learn the basics of car seat safety, including how to install a child safety seat.

  • Children age 12 and under should not ride in the front seat of the car.

  • Children age 8 and younger must be properly secured in a car seat or booster seat appropriate for their height and weight.

Car Seat Guidelines:

  • The child should be in a high-backed, rear-facing car seat that is buckled tightly in the car. It doesn’t move more than 1 inch when pushed or pulled. The 5-point harness fastens in the center of the chest and between the legs. The straps fit close to the child’s body.

  • The child should be in a high-backed, forward-facing car seat that is buckled tightly in the car. It doesn’t move more than 1 inch when pushed or pulled. The 5-point harness fastens in the center of the chest and between the legs. The straps fit close to the child’s body.

  • After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat and until the car’s seat belt fits properly, the child should be in a booster seat so that the lap belt sits low on the child’s hips (not the stomach) and the car’s shoulder belt is on the child’s shoulder (not on the neck, under the arm, or behind the back), coming down across the center of the chest. The seat belt should be snug, flat, and comfortable.

  • When the car’s seat belt fits properly and the child can sit all the way back with knees bent at the end of the seat, the child is ready to ride without a booster. The lap belt should sit low on the child’s hips (not the stomach) and the car’s shoulder belt should be on the child’s shoulder (not on the neck, under the arm, or behind the back), coming down across the center of the chest. The seat belt should be snug, flat, and comfortable. If the seat belt does not fit properly, the child must use a booster seat.